Machine for loading firecrackers



June 5, 1928.

D. E. MULCAHY ET AL MACHINE FOR LOADING FIRECRACKERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed March 5, 1927 gwuudocs Daniel 1 Main/"9y Raymond 6'. Hit! June 5,1928. 1,672,771

D. E. MULCAHY ET AL MACHINE FOR LOADINGFIRECRACKERS Filed Maroh'5, 19272 Sheets-Sheet 2 A m gwvmtozs Gamm Patented am 5, 192s.

- "entree mm I aerate lm [95 5 nAnIE EMULGAHY Am) RAYMOND o. nrrr, orSEATTLE, wasnmsron;

MACHINE Fen LOADING FIRECRAGKERS.

Application filed Maren-3 This invention relates to machines for loadingfirecrackers, and-particularly firecrackers known as the fiaskcrackatype, wherein the charge is heldinj a sack inthe 5 shell. In theloading, of the shells-of the fiaskcracka type, ithas been thecustomtoplace the required amount of explosive in 'apaper tube orisack which wasfolded or tied in some simple flexible material which was thencompressed into theflopen shells by: hand, a very s'low process; and itis among the objects of this invention [to i provide a machine forrapidly loading the @shells, the operator merel depositing the 1 bags inthe mouth of suitable'taperedholes in a cylinder which revolves untilthe holes come, opposite the mouth of one of shells,

;at which time a plunger-moves forward and compresses the sack into, theshell; and-1 conveying the shells to grooves in the -pef riphery ofadrum', witha cylinder mounted adjacent to one end ofthedrum, with holesI through the cylinder registering with the grooves on the drum, andaplunger mounted to be operated with a reciprocal motion 'eachsupportedon separate axles and connected-by gears'torotate at, the same time,with a ratchet wheel'mounted on the axle i plunger, to turn the ratchetat intermittent periods, for discharging the shells when loaded andbri-nging into proper position Figure 1 is an end elevation, Figure2-.is. a top plan Figure 3 a rear elevation in section taken-3 online 3of Figure 2, with parts;

suitablejournal boxes 28 and 29.

through the holes over a portion of the respective grooves, the drum and,cylinderof the drum a nd a pawl operated by the 1927, Serial 1V0,172,461. Y i

of theratchet and its operating means.

ILike numerals on the different figures represent likepartsa 1 is asupporting frame,

with connection 2- for'permitting. adjustment broken away; andl Figu-ref is a detail View a of the part-3 of the frame for diifer ent lengths.of the drum 4 which is fixed to and revolves with its axle 5. i Thedrum is providedwith a seriesofgrooves 6 at determined spaces apartaround its, v periphery, .1 v witha flange 7 atoneend for "retainlng thetubular firecracker [shells 8. A cylinder 9 lS IIlOlll'ltQCli adjacent'Oneend of the drum, with a series of holes 10 therethrough and slopingmouths 11, fortthe easy insertion of the bags 12 containing suitableexplosive material and protrudingfuseslg, The cylinder. is attached.touan axle ltwvhich is turnedby a gearwheelplfj attached to 'axle- ,5,:meslting in gear 16011 the periphery of thejcyli nder, the gear 16being double the diameter of the gear. 15, and turning the.

cylinder twice while the drum turns once, A loading plunger 17 isslidablymounted in a tube 18 infram'e l. Theend of plungerv adjacent thecylinder is 1 reducedpinfsize as 19, andis reciprocated in the tube bya-connecting ro d19 attached by a-pivotpin 20,;

tlre outerfend ofthe rodisconnected by an adjustable pin 21(to'determine the length of stroke) witha crank 22 affixed to the powershaft 2 3 supported by posts .24 and'25, and

driven by any suitable motor or pulley,26

andfbeltf27, the shaftheld on the posts by The drum a'nd'. cylinderareintermittently turned as theplunger operatesbyblocks 30 and-'31adjustably attachedfto the plunger, and which alternately, mo ve' alever 32 which is provided with yoke-3,3, at its top through which theplunger freely, slides, tilljflthe 37 to lower end of a bell icrank 38mounted on;' pivot pin39, to the; fram'e11. The other end of the bellcrank is; pivota;lly= attached 'blo c ks strike the lever, when; thelatter is tripped on its fulcrum pin 33 held bybracket to the top end ofa link 40, with the lower link is raised'orlowered by the-motiontof.

end of thelinkattached by a pivot pin 41 to acollar. 42 which isadjusted over. the outer bend of 'a yoke 43 and permits that .p'artofthe yoke to turn in the collar as the the bel -l cranky 'lh'e two"ends:% of theyeke: v

i are bent around the axle 47 attached to and 'betw'een'thea rms .of thethereon as the link is raised jor lowe red, a ratchet wheel is attachedtoi'theaxle 5 betweenytheends of the yoke, and a pawl 46:

is freely mounted at its outer end onan axle yoke; With the inner end ofthe pawl-adjusted toturn the'ratchet whee-F fisth yoke v,is raised bythe cranlgbut to ridedown and over the ratchet teeth-When-thecrank'lowers the yoke. bafivl may 1 be 7 further? controlledibymsp'ring'.

tlhebm pty tub lar firecrackerj shells are" deposited-in a hopper'{LSFa-ndith'enCe carried up byla'n endlessbelt' 49. and buckets'fi'Oopierate'd'overa topffpulley 51 drive'n by shaft .5'2; the belt passingthence down anda'rou'nd ing provided with anopening at] the base topermit 7 ,the'zbelt and buckets to pass there through; tot-pick up-theempty shells as the buckets I move up. through the "hopper: "the bucketsturn'dow'noi'erthe top" pulley the shellsdropftherefrom into a chuteMend andlbllogw'the top guards 55softhe chute, and are' thencarried'bytliedrum to a positionfopbosite one of theholesll) through thecylinder 91,1in front'qf the tube'18fand point ofiplunger, 19; in wh ch'jo'sitionthefdrum is held bya' spring 56vwith'eslidable'shoulder 35"as-the p awlha s then reeclied its'highestpd sition Withtheplilnger'poi'nt 19 drav'vnb'a'ck freefromthe cylinder. The mouths ff'theholes through the cylinder 1 are of' sufiicient', 7 diameter to ermitthe operator to readily f 'insertfthe bags- 12 of explosive; Withthefuse 57 'wh ch amps into the adjacent groove v V protruding;andfas',thecrank 22 forces tlie lunge;- on against the bag-fin the'adjacent holein the c' lin'de'r andfon into the firecracker :shellf yin'g' in thegroove 6v opposite holes} in-"the? shells at the end Where they meet,but larger at their months, the bagsare j Shell's; The shell"whenibeing'loaded isiheld ili position 1 against: the-'- force of the, plungergrooves;

f" As the" plunger i's moved into its forward position t'lieblo'ck- 30comes into c'ontactwith the lei/e113? and forces the pawl down tofits=1ower' bsitiohen the ratchet; and when the l plunger 'h'as beenagainwi't-hdrawn' from the and turn freely YWe 4 construction as'rhereinshown;- but-reserve the rrlght, togma ke any changes vdeemedadvisable;shells,- having a frame, 'a" reciprocating 32, and asthje plungercontinues to more backa short distance further the pmvl is I theshe llsarefp'l aced close to the face of the againraised and the ratchet turnedthereby" 7 till j anothergroove carrying; another' shell 1s cylinde-r,it is advisable to provide shallow f grooves10' from the outside.edges'of the holes iii "tlie cylingder tdpreventthe protrud ingfusesfrom "becoming damaged las the cylinder: revolves against the shellafterfjthe explosive has been p roperly.pleced therein. I v

(The pulleyi shaft 52forthe 'buclietfbeltjis 'drivenby bevel gear-5sthereon; meshing the me i m ume he from the respective grooves into anysuitable receptacle for pa'ckingp gear 59 on;perpendicularshaft '60operated 7 side; 7 do not limit, ourselves to the specific for carryingoiit the objects of "the invention.

- Having described ourinvention, We claim:

1. A machine 'for'T loading "firecracker shells; having; "a frame, areciprocating plunger f'or compressing ex'plosivej materiel, v

lathe-s een. cylinder hiving' tapered hols therethrough afiikedfon; anaxle; "a drum-haw grooves on the periphery thereof; for

dreamt adjacent the" ot er; and the holes in retaining, the shellsffor'loading, the' drum e f v e e, I 'and'cylinderbeing"mounted havingone'end holeilO, thebagis'carried by the narrowedpoint 19 of theplunger" clearthrough 'the' ge'ar'sifforrotatingthe drum and'cylinderfachute and ineansifr depositil'ig the}grooves asthe drum' revolves, meansfor holding the :diuin 7 in" a fixed -position I "when the 'respfe'ctivelioles in 'the" cylinder compressed-by the v tapei-ing hole "to proper isizc to fit tightly inside the Walls"ofthe shell; and req'uire'nofclzry'o'r othermeans for holding the explosive in the positions inthe l1 ave been nioved successively "in front of the into a shell on thedrum aiidi 1 again withdrawn from the cylinder, and: means for turningthe-drum and cylinder internlit-v tently w'vhile the plunger movescontinuf '7 machine for loading firecracker plunger jfor pressing sacks"of explosive in the: shells, means for moving and then holdingthe'shells in front oftheiplunger, ineajns for: guiding the sacks into th"shells; means loaded Sh nsemp f I for compressing the sacks to suitablesize while being moved forward by the plunger before entering theshells, means forcon- Veying the shells to grooves on a rotatable drumin the path of travel of the plunger, a ratchet wheel and pawl forintermittently V turning; the drum as the plunger is reciprocated,vthepawl mounted on an axle affixed to a yoke ad acent the ratchet wheel,the

yoke alternately raised and lowered at pre-' determined periods byadjustable blocks on the plunger and means for conveying the movementsof the blocks to the yoke.

3. A machine for pressing loads of explosive into tubularfirecrackershells, havmg means for holding the shells to be loaded in to suitablesize for the she ls, and means for forcing the'compressed sacks into theshells to a predetermined position therein, the sev eral parts .of' themachine being operated coordinately together.

In testimony whereof We aflix our signatures.

DANIEL QMULOl iHY. RAYMOND o. HITT.

